Wavelength-dispersive spectrometer for X-ray microfluorescence analysis at the X-ray microscopy beamline ID21 (ESRF)

The development of a wavelength-dispersive spectrometer for microfluorescence analysis at the X-ray Microscopy ID21 beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) is reported. The spectrometer is based on a polycapillary optic for X-ray fluorescence collection and is operated in a flat-crystal geometry. The design considerations as well as operation characteristics of the spectrometer are presented. The achieved performances, in particular the energy resolution, are compared with the results of Monte Carlo simulations. Further improvement in the energy resolution, down to similar to eV range, by employing a double-crystal geometry is examined. Finally, examples of applications requiring both spatial and spectral resolutions are presented. (C) 2010 International Union of Crystallography Printed in Singapore - all rights reserved